The present invention is generally directed to a method and apparatus for measuring the adhesive force of smaller surface additive particles to larger particles. More specifically the present invention is directed to a multi-horn ultrasonic agitator system which enables precise control of ultrasonic energy output from the horns and which system permits the analysis of, for example, liquid and solid phases, and small surface additive constituents(guest particles)residing on larger sized particulates(host particles). The present invention also provides automated robotic control and sample handling for efficient and automatic operation. The present invention provides methods and apparatuses for host and guest particle separation or host and guest particle extraction. The present invention provides an analytical tool to characterize the amount of guest surface additive(s) on and off the host or main particles, such as toners versus the amount of surface additive irrevocably impacted on the surface of the main particles. The resulting data can be readily correlated to host particle, guest particle, or subparticle performance and associative states or dispositions, such as toner and developer imaging performance. The present invention provides a system and method for removing additives from the surface of toner particles and other surface treated particles by way of controlled automated ultrasonic energy input. These and other embodiments of the present invention disclosed herein.
In a typical electrostatographic printing system, a light image or digital image of an original to be reproduced is recorded in the form of an electrostatic latent image upon a photosensitive member and the latent image is subsequently rendered visible by the application of electroscopic thermoplastic resin particles which are commonly referred to as toner. The visible toner image is then in a loose powdered form and can be easily disturbed or destroyed. The toner image is usually fixed or fused upon a support which may be the photosensitive member itself or another support sheet such as plain paper. Other related marking technologies are known, for example, liquid immersion development, and solid or liquid ink jet imaging technologies wherein a liquid, solid, molten, sublimed, and the like marking formulations are deposited onto an imaging member, imaging intermediate member, or image receiver and wherein the marking or imaging material is typically conveniently packaged for end-user or operator installation. Thus it is readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that embodiments of the present invention are readily adaptable to other marking formulations and other marking materials, and related consumable materials, such as, replenishers, liquid inks or developers, photoactive pigments and surface treated photoactive pigments, photoreceptors, fuser rolls constituents, backer rolls, fuser oils, cleaning formulations, papers or transparency stock, such as high quality or specialty receivers, xe2x80x9cTxe2x80x9d-shirt transfer compositions and components, and the like materials. It is also readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that embodiments of the present invention are readily adaptable to other analytical technological endeavors, for example, pharmaceutical dosage form formulation and analysis, agri-product formulation and analysis, particulate and fiber forensic analysis, and like applications.
In embodiments, the system and methods of present invention provide unexpected benefits and superior productivity performance levels to analysts or operators, for example, in facilitating unique or high volume sample analysis and result obtention, and in enabling sample of analysis of liquid suspended particulate materials and without the need for caustic or corrosive reagents to prepare dissolved analytes, for example hydrofluoric acid solutions for ion coupled plasma (ICP) analysis of inorganic and organo-metallic materials. These and other advantages of the present invention are illustrated herein.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,741,841, issued, May 3, 1988, to Borre et al., there is disclosed a method and apparatus for particle separation where particulates which are less than and greater than a predetermined size and are entrained in a fluid are separated according to their respective sizes by passing the fluid and entrained particulates through a porous, cross-flow separator element while continuously vibrating the separator element to prevent buildup of particulates on the upstream side of the separator element.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,400,665, issued Mar. 28, 1995, and 5,259,254, issued Nov. 9, 1993, both to Zhu, et al., there is disclosed an efficient sample introduction system and method of use, for accepting liquid sample solutions, nebulizing them to form nebulized sample solution droplets, desolvating and removing solvent therefrom, and introducing the resulting desolvated nebulized sample particles to sample analysis systems such as ICP. In the preferred embodiment, a flow of heated gas is caused to flow over the outer surface of a coiled essentially tubular shaped enclosed filter to remove solvent vapor which diffuses through the coiled essentially tubular shaped enclosed filter while a mixture of desolvated nebulized sample particles and solvent vapor is caused to flow therethrough. A modified embodiment utilizes a low temperature condenser in place of the heated gas flow. Nebulization of sample solutions is accomplished by use of high efficiency ultrasonic or direct injection micro nebulizer systems. Desolvation is performed in a desolvation chamber in which heating elements provide a temperature sufficient to vaporize solvent present. The sample introduction system provides improved sample solution nebulization, desolvation and solvent removal, as well as reduced sample loss and carry-over of sample from one analysis procedure to a subsequent analysis procedure, as compared to other systems which perform a similar overall function. The sample introduction system also enhances transport of sample through the sample introduction system to a sample analysis system. The present invention is equally effective with sample solutions in which the sample solvent is either water, or an organic solvent.
Other references of interest include U.S. Pat. No. 4,639,356, which discloses the use of ultrasound for agitative mixing and atomization in preparing ceramic materials; U.S. Pat. No. 5,840,026 which discloses an electronic control means, including feedback control, for calculating flow rate and concentration of the fluid medium, such as an ultrasound imaging agent, based on characteristic data of a sample, such as a patient; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,943,759 which discloses a multiple-articulated robot feedback control apparatus. The aforementioned patent references are incorporated in their entirety by reference herein.
There remains a need for simple, efficient, safe, economical, and highly reliable and reproducible method and apparatus for the analysis of the relationship between host-guest particle combinations and the like industrial, environmental, or specialty formulations.
The system of the present invention is useful, for example, in electrophotographic imaging materials analysis, diagnostics, development, and the like applications, especially color and digital applications. As a specific example, the present invention can be used in the design and manufacture of superior flow and charge performing toner materials, such as silica surface treated resin based toners. As another example, the present invention can be used for tracking and elucidating trends in solid area density values (SAD) during xerographic print testing. Another area of application of the system, apparatus, and method of the present invention, includes for example, as a useful tool in the design, manufacture, diagnosis, or trouble shooting performance, of particle materials or particulate containing formulations, such as found in the imaging materials technology area, for dry or liquid xerography, ionography, magnetography, silver halide photography, and the like technology areas. Other areas of application of the system, apparatus, and method of the present invention, include for example, pharmaceutical dosage form analysis, including for example, timed release, delayed release, or controlled release formulations. Still other areas of application of the system, apparatus, and method of the present invention, include for example, secondary particulate emission analysis, that is measurement of materials on the surface of the primary emitted particles, such as sub-particles or liquid adsorbates including dust or oil, as found for example, on the surface of particulate emissions from for example, combustion or engine exhaust, smoke stacks, and the like sources of particulate emissions and the like effluents. Representative technology areas include for example: environmental testing and analysis; pesticide and crop chemical formulation analysis; foodstuff analysis; biotechnology assays, for example, bacterial and viral particle surface analysis; wear analysis of moving parts, for example, fragmented or wear particulates, and the analysis of surface compositions of the fragment particles, such as the presence and extent of liquid or solid sub-particle lubricant or contaminant surface coatings.
Other applications of the system and method of the present invention include, for example, analysis of dosage forms and dosage components, such as dissolution rates after a time, with a measured energy input in aqueous based solvents, that may contain human or animal components like digestive fluids or blood that can be the solvent or liquid phase. The amount of energy expended for dissolution can be correlated to rates of dissolution for different animal or human patients or populations. The sonication or ultrasonication step of the present invention features a highly reproducible and quantifiable energy input that can provide an exacting correlation between dissolution rates and patient profiles. The fertilizer industry can use the present process and invention to further an understanding of fertilization mechanisms, such as absorption rates or binding strengths of various fertilizer components in soil samples, for example, from various depths, and which components can be exposed to various environmental conditions for various periods of time. Efficient and proper mixing of inks and paints can be studied using solid-liquid samples, for example a suspension of pigment particles, or liquid-liquid samples, for example a dispersion of liquid droplet particles in a continuous liquid medium, such as by extraction methods. For workers in the ink and paint industry, it is important to know how to make the stable ink and paint suspensions or dispersions so that such products remain stable, that is resistant against separation, precipitation, coagulation, and the like phenomena, for prolonged time periods at various temperatures and humidities. To optimize product stability, one needs to know which component(s) and how much of each component is dissolved or suspended, and what energy is needed to achieve a given level of stable dissolution, dispersion, or suspension. The system, apparatus, and methods of the present invention can accomplish this quickly and on a large number of samples in an automated and robotic process.
Embodiments of the present invention, include:
A method comprising:
sonicating a liquid suspension of first particles; and
analyzing the liquid phase for second particles;
An apparatus comprising:
a sonicator adapted to sonicate a liquid suspension of first particles; and
a first analyzer adapted to analyze the sonicated liquid phase for second particles.